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Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

I tried searching past posts and didn't have a lot of luck. Have any of you used cypress hives for a number of years without painting or staining them? I know cypress is more expensive, but if it keeps me from having to paint, it is worth it to me.

Re: Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

Our cypress hives were first put out this spring (7 months ago) I brushed on a light coat of wood preserivative - they looked great all summer but now are dull. They may not rot but I don't like the looks.
Charlie

Re: Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

Cypress is far more rot resistant than white pine....that is to say heartwood cypress. Sapwood of any species has no inherent rot resistance. Since almost no one grades for heartwood anymore, you are likely to see 20%+ sapwood in any lumber you buy. So unless you can pick the boards/see the hive bodies before purchase to insure they are sap free I would not pay the extra for cypress...What good is a hive body where one edge rots out 10+ years before the rest?

Once upon a time most durable species of lumber were graded for heartwood, the trees were bigger and customers more demanding

All that said, unpainted wood of many species will last reasonably well (in many environments) if it has good air circulation and is well off the ground.

Re: Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

Wood does more than rot. It swells, warps and spilts when it absorbs moisture. Anything to seal out moisture will keep supers together longer. Wood also breaks down in sunlight, just not as rapidly as it swells.

Re: Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

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The dark hive was the first one I started with, it is stained with three coats of clear poly on top of that. I did not like the dark finish so I have since started to just use clear poly as you can see the other hive in the distance. Oh I almost forgot to add that, that is my 8yr son servicing the freeman beetle trap. I have since acquired three more hives and they are also clear poly. I also get my equipment from rossman.

Re: Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

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Another hive picture. I like the natural look but it is a lot more work and if I had to finish alot of hives it would just use white paint, because it takes three coats to really look good I think. Just my 2 cents.

Re: Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

This is a cypress hive that has a coat of sain and three coats of polly, very time consuming. Evans makes cedar bee hives, you might have more luck with them. But anyone is going to tell you no matter what you use, if you put a coat of something on it, it will last longer.

Re: Do cypress hives need paint or stain?

Depending on how you set up a wax dipping operation I'd estimate 1-2k to set up. I made a rather large tank, 3stacked deeps will fit at once, or 5 mediums. The welded steel take was about 200 for materials (I got it welded for free), I bought a 250k BTU burner to heat it plus a couple extra propane tanks !150 nucks). Then I spent like 800 on wax and rosin to fill it. Add in some miscellaneous items like fire bricks for base and I probably spent around $1300. Smaller tank costs less to build and less to fill.

So one word of advice, don't paint the inside of the tank if you do it. I did to prevent rust because the tank sat for a while with engine paint for high heat. Big mistake, I have to clean my boxes to remove black paint chips after I dip now. Live and learn I should have it cleaned out this Spring.